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by The_Tevinter_Biscuit



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: Alternate Universe - Children, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Friendship, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-06
Updated: 2017-04-06
Packaged: 2018-10-15 10:14:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10554628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Tevinter_Biscuit/pseuds/The_Tevinter_Biscuit
Summary: Even if Garrett was Fenris's best friend, that didn't mean he could heal everything. Besides, it was cold and he should go home.





	

**Author's Note:**

> potentially part of something greater?? ever since mck/res ive loved the idea of fen and hawke being friends as children so  
> also partially inspired by erased, which i watched to completion this morning
> 
> enjoy?

“Maybe I should’ve brought a scarf after all,” he sighed. “Can’t tell mum she was right,”

Garrett slowed down on the swing set and zipped his coat up so he could bury his icy chin in the collar. Winter had crept up on him fast, snow had yet to fall from the skies but some of the pathways had become laced with ice and there was a chill in the air. Regardless of the freezing weather, he had no intention of staying indoors to sit around and do nothing. He liked being outside in the fresh air away from his family. Not that he didn’t like his family, he loved his parents and his siblings, but freedom from rules was nice too.

He kicked off the ground to swing back and forth again. However, since he had not gotten a response from the boy sat on the other swing, he turned to look at him. Fenris had stopped swinging, his little legs couldn’t quite reach the floor so they hung idly in the air. His hands were no longer on the metal chains but buried in his lap. He wasn’t wearing any gloves so his fingers must be cold.

“Hmm. It’s getting late,” Garrett mused.

Fenris didn’t reply. There was only the squeak of the swing in the air. The sun had fallen and the flickering of the street lamps illuminated their surroundings in its place. Winter brought the sunset early, it had taken a lot of persuading his mum for her to let him stay out as long as he usually did when the sun was still high in the sky.

“Do you want me to walk you home?” he asked. Fenris flinched and cast his gaze to the floor.

“You can go. I’m going to stay awhile longer,” he replied.

An avoidant answer. Garrett furrowed his eyebrows and put his feet out to stutter his swing and eventually come to a steady halt. He had spent time hanging out with Fenris lately, he figured that Fenris was simply a strange kid. There were certain things he said and did that raised suspicions about him and Garrett couldn’t help but wonder if there was something he had to do about it. When he saw the bruises, Fenris made him promise not to tell. The last thing he wanted to do was make Fenris upset. However, he never stopped seeing them. They were never on his face, he noted, but always his limbs and once on his stomach when he was changing at his house.

“If you’re staying, I will too,” Garrett said. Fenris exhaled deeply, exasperated. Garrett’s stubbornness was really something else. It was often how the young boy got his own way, it was a bit of a talent. Someday, it would come back to bite him.

They rocked together on the swing in silence for a while longer. Garrett couldn’t deny that he was beginning to feel fed up with the quiet. He stood up abruptly, noticing that Fenris was beginning to shiver a little. His face was partially buried in the material of his scarf but it didn’t seem to be doing him many favours. Garrett strolled over to him, standing directly in front of him.

“You’re cold,” he announced, matter-of-fact. He reached down and grabbed Fenris’s hands out from his lap. Fenris jumped a little on the seat of the swing and blinked wildly at him. Garrett clasped his hands in his, the warmth from his gloves helping to warm Fenris’s hands. “Is this better?”

Fenris looked down at their joined hands and felt the heat rise in his cheeks until it reached his ears. Damn Garrett and his stupid face and stupid ideas. When he met his gaze again, Garrett only grinned widely, showing off his missing teeth.

“Yes,” Fenris uttered.

“Good,”

Surprisingly, the silence between them wasn’t awkward until a little later. Fenris remained sat down on the swing with his hands nestled between Garrett’s. Every time he exhaled, he could see the little puff of white drift into the air. He recalled Garrett calling it “dragon’s breath”, smiling cheekily as he declared it. It was silly, often accompanied by Garrett running around with his arms out and pretending to be a dragon, but it made him smile nonetheless.

“Whatcha thinkin’ about?” Garrett questioned, breaking the silence. Fenris hummed and watched Garrett’s own “dragon breath” fade into the air as he spoke. He was staring at him with wide eyes like honey pots. His cheeks were dotted with freckles and flushed, Fenris was unsure whether it was from the way their hands were embracing or the chill in the air.

For a second, Fenris wondered if the words “you” were going to emerge from his lips. But, they didn’t.

“Nothin’” he said. Garrett chuckled, letting go of Fenris’s hands. Fenris widened his eyes, shocked to find that some of the warmth lingered on his palms as though Garrett was still holding them.

“Want me to push you?” Garrett offered, walking around to stand behind him even before he got an answer. He reached for the chains and nodded. Despite being the same age, Garrett was much taller and bigger than he was. In fact, Garrett was perhaps the tallest in their class, while he was as small as some of the girls in the year below. For this reason, Garrett found it easier to push him on the swings. He held his breath as he rested his hands back of Fenris’s and pulled him back. Once he was far enough, he let go so he swung forward.

He listened to the sound of the squeaks each time the swing swung forwards and he was launched into the air. Garrett kept pushing him further and further so he held on tightly, so sure that the chains were going to leave red imprints on his bare hands. Somehow, he thought that even if he let go, Garrett would be there to catch him. Not that he was going to test that theory of course.

It was times like these he enjoyed most with Garrett. At this time of night there were no kids bustling around and pushing them out of the way. He didn’t have to listen to them scream far too loud and cry for their mother when they tripped. Nor did he have to watch as their doting parents kissed their wounds better and wiped their fat tears before they rolled down their cheeks. He didn’t have to watch with a searing jealousy swimming around in the pit of his stomach.

Soon enough, Garrett’s arms got tired. He took a deep breath and stopped pushing him, letting him decide his own momentum by manoeuvring his legs. Fenris kept swinging, watching his friend as he sat back down on the swing seat next to him and rocked himself into a steady rhythm.

“Mum’s gonna be mad,” he told him. Fenris frowned, not wishing for Garrett to get into any trouble at his expense. As much as he appreciated Garrett being here for him, he didn’t want to be selfish.

“Go home then,” Fenris said, looking up at the star-littered sky. “I’ll be fine,”

His swinging began to slow down without a push to keep him going. Even completely still, his feet couldn’t reach the ground so he had no way of coming to a complete stop. Instead, he rocked at a similar speed to Garrett.

“I’ll go home when you do,” Garrett replied, as stubborn as ever. Why did he have to make things difficult? Fenris’s fingers tightened around the chains. There were tears bubbling in the corners of his eyes and he hoped Garrett didn’t notice them. He tried to blink them away but it only made them begin to tumble down his face.

“I-I don’t want to go home,” he said.

Garrett turned to look at him, there was no denying what he saw now. Knowing that he was being stared at only made Fenris cry more. As if a pressure had been lifted from his chest, sobs came tumbling out and his hands let go of the chains to rub at his damp cheeks. Garrett leapt up from the swing and grabbed his arm. He jerked it away from his face and yanked him up onto his feet.

It wasn’t long before Fenris found himself bundled up in Garrett’s arms. His face rested against his chest and he worried about making his coat wet with tears. Garrett didn’t say anything for a moment, only watched him and allowed him to cry like a useless baby in his arms. He rubbed Fenris’s back.

“Then don’t.”


End file.
